A Taste of Seduction

by Bronwen Evans

  Tears welled again. “Augustus knew you loved her?”

  Hadley nodded. He did love Evangeline—always had. That’s why it had hurt so much, for far too long, when he’d thought she’d abandoned him.

  His mother must have seen the pain of his loss, because she straightened her shoulders and said, “This evil woman, Victoria, has taken much from this family. Please ensure she receives the punishment she deserves.”

  He took his mother’s hand and kissed it. “I swear it on Augustus’s grave.”

  Her mother let her hand slip from his, and she patted him on the arm. “You’ll make a fine Duke of Claymore. Now go bring my grandson home.”

  “I just have to speak to Lord Corby first.”

  “I’ll send him up.” With that, she left in a swirl of satin.

  Hadley called after her, “Tell Clinton to have my horse readied, and inform Harper that he should pack my bags. He can follow in the family coach.”

  That conversation had gone better than he’d hoped, he thought with relief. His mother must have liked Evangeline.

  Soon there was a knock, and Clinton announced Lord Corby.

  Corby entered as if he owned the world. He appeared to be full of confidence, and the smile on his face made Hadley’s insides recoil.

  “Your Grace,” he uttered, “my condolences on your brother’s untimely death. Such a tragedy.”

  “Thank you.”

  Hadley sat and waited. There was no way he was bringing up the subject of Claire. How desperate was Corby?

  The smile on the marquis’s face began to fade.

  “Was that all? I have many things to oversee, as you can imagine,” Hadley said, standing.

  “I thought after offering my condolences, I’d just remind you of our arrangement regarding Claire. It was your brother’s fondest wish that our families be aligned, and as he is now deceased, and you had agreed to the arrangement…”

  “Obviously that arrangement is void. My new position means that I cannot possibly marry Lady Claire. Augustus pointed out that she would be lost as a duchess, and that is why he suggested me as an alternative husband.” Having said that, Hadley expected he would soon see Corby’s true colors.

  “I’m sure that since you do not have a younger brother, Augustus would wish you to honor the agreement.”

  “I’m sure he wouldn’t. He actually advised me just recently that perhaps the marriage was not a good idea. You see, I’m in love with another.”

  Corby’s smile was gone. “I know for a fact that he could not possibly have offered you such advice.”

  “Are you insinuating I’m a liar?”

  Corby sat studying him, no doubt wondering how far to push him.

  “Shall we lay all the cards on the table? Your brother had a secret I’m sure you’d not wish the world to know.”

  Hadley rose to his feet. “I wondered when you’d show your true colors. If it were not for my sisters I’d call you out, you sorry excuse for a man.”

  He could see sweat appear on Corby’s forehead.

  “If you wish your family not to suffer, I think it would be best if you agree to wed Claire.” He drew out a sheet of paper. “I have the contract here.”

  Hadley slammed his hand on the table before grasping the document and ripping it in two. “I think that says it all.”

  Corby was visibly shaking now. “I will expose your brother as the sodomite he was.”

  Hadley moved round the desk to stand over the marquis. “You have no proof.”

  “My servants saw him with a man.”

  “No. They saw him with a woman dressed as a man.”

  Corby’s face paled. “You expect everyone to believe that? Why on earth—”

  “She was married and therefore slipped out in disguise to meet her lover. I have spoken to the lady concerned, and she is willing to testify to that fact.”

  Corby didn’t know where to look. Hadley leaned over him. “My good friend Lord Labourd found some interesting information about you, Lord Corby. He has several witnesses who swear you like a certain type of, shall we say, sensual experience…one that involves bridles and saddles and being ridden like a horse.”

  Sweat was now dripping down Corby’s face, and he seemed suddenly to have shrunk in stature.

  Hadley leaned closer. “If I ever hear any rumors about my brother, any bit of gossip at all, I shall expose your perversion to the world, and then I shall beat you to within an inch of your life. Are we clear?”

  There was no response.

  “Are we clear?” Hadley repeated.

  “Absolutely.”

  Hadley moved back to sit on the edge of his desk. “Now that we have left the unpleasantness behind us, let me say that I will do all that I can to find Lady Claire a suitable husband.”

  Corby’s eyes opened wide.

  “She should not have to suffer because her brother is an imbecile. Now get out—I have other business to attend to. Contact me at the start of next season and I will have a list of suitable candidates.”

  With that, Corby left, though without the swagger he’d entered with.

  One problem was solved, Hadley thought. But now he had another one: how to save Arend when all he wanted to do was kill Victoria.

  Chapter 15

  Evangeline knew she was a coward. As she waited for Hadley to arrive, she walked in Christian’s rose gardens, watching Sealey play with Henry. She’d desperately wanted to go to Hardstone to support him, to help him deal with his brother’s death, but he hadn’t seemed to want her there.

  He had every right to loathe her presence. If she had not insisted on dragging Augustus with her to find her son, he might still be alive. On top of that, Hadley had learned from the woman he hated most in this world that he had a son. The look he’d sent Evangeline as Victoria revealed Sealey’s parentage—it could have frozen steaming lava.

  She decided to put off talking to her son until after Hadley had arrived. She still didn’t know if she should tell Sealey who his real father was, but Portia pointed out how cruel other children could be, and soon his parentage would be obvious to all who saw him and knew Hadley.

  What had her stomach in a knot, her heart clenching in her chest, and her knees trembling was having to face Hadley. She’d gotten his brother killed.

  “He has Hadley’s laugh.”

  The sound of Marisa’s voice temporarily pulled her out of her stew of guilt. Kissing her on both cheeks, she asked, “When did you arrive?”

  “An hour ago. We overnighted at Hardstone, and Hadley traveled with us.”

  She peered over Marisa’s shoulder. “Hadley is here?”

  “I believe he is interrogating our prisoner. Oh, I’d love to go down there and…But Maitland won’t allow me near her. He thinks it will upset me. Upset me? I don’t think I could get more upset than knowing she’s in that house!”

  Evangeline’s courage deserted her. Hadley would rather talk to Victoria than talk with her, and before meeting his son.

  Marisa must have seen her face, for she quickly added, “He asked me to find you and see if you’d meet him in Christian’s study in an hour.” She reached for Evangeline’s hand and squeezed. “Don’t look so worried. He is nervous but excited to meet Sealey.”

  Was he excited to see her? That’s what she longed to know. Had the events of the other day destroyed any chance of their having a happily-ever-after? Would guilt over his brother’s death make a life together impossible? He could never claim Sealey as his heir, so there was no need to marry her.

  She had an hour to wait before she would find out her fate. It felt like forever.

  —

  Hadley walked down the steps of Christian’s dungeon-like cellar, anger rising, pain slicing, the blood boiling in his veins. If it weren’t for the burning need to find Arend, he’d have already strangled Victoria.

  With one flick of his hand he dismissed the guards standing outside the locked and fortified door. He stood for several moments tryin
g to get his temper under control.

  The woman on the other side of the door had stolen much of his life, taken love and happiness and turned it into regret, sorrow, and wrongs that could never be righted. All he wanted to know was why.

  At least they had caught her before any of them were mortally injured. That is, if Arend was still alive. He didn’t know what game she was about to play with him, but this time he intended to make the rules.

  He slowly pushed open the steel door and stepped inside. Her cell was furnished more nicely than it would have been had he been in charge. He would’ve liked to see her sleeping on the floor, but Christian had furnished the room with a sturdy cot, warm blankets, a table with a lantern on it, and two comfy chairs. He even spied books on the table. However, what annoyed him the most was the sanctimonious smile upon her face.

  “Well, if it isn’t the new Duke of Claymore. Come to thank me?”

  He ignored her taunt, not giving her the satisfaction of knowing how ill it made him just to be in the same room as her.

  Instead he spoke calmly. “I came because I want to understand. We all knew what our fathers were like. They were monsters. If only you had come to me, I could have—”

  The smile left her face. “Could have done what? Given me a father who cared more for his daughter than money? Or given me my innocence back? My life back? My child back?” She looked at him with the most emotion Hadley had ever seen in her cold, dead eyes. “Some things can never be given back no matter how hard you try.”

  “You’ve taught me that lesson. The one person who is the most affected by your evil is my son. You’ve robbed him of his true heritage, his family name, and nothing I can do will ever fix that.”

  “Now you understand how powerless you feel when others destroy your life. Perhaps that is better than seeing you in a grave.”

  “I want to know what happened to you to make you so filled with hate and vengeance against those who played no part in your abuse.”

  “I thought Evangeline would have given you a hint.” At his silence she gave a cackle of a laugh. “You have not talked to her. Do I detect a romance strangled by guilt? It was her fault your brother was there. Really, I think you should thank her. You were running the family estates anyway; now you’re truly the duke.”

  He carefully crossed his legs and pulled at his cuffs. “I hate to disappoint you again, but I do not blame her. I blame you. You were the one who chose to pull the trigger.” It was unsettling to see how easily she had learned about his family. About him, given how carefully they had hidden his part in the running of the estates.

  “That’s a pity. It would have been my final curtain call to have destroyed your poignant reunion.”

  Hadley struggled to maintain his calm. Victoria was such a bitch.

  “Maitland arrived with me; his wife is accompanying him. Speaking of vengeance, Marisa has a very large score to settle with you. Tell me something that will make me want to convey to her that perhaps we should have sympathy for you.”

  She stood up from where she had been sitting on the cot and walked to the other side of the cell. Directly above her, near the roof, was the bottom two inches of the window on the stairwell outside. It let in the briefest amount of natural light, and for one moment a spot of sunlight settled on her face. Hadley thought it ironic that the hard life she must have lived was not reflected there. Her skin was flawless, her beauty undiminished. She really did look the part of the perfect lady. He found it hard to believe that this woman so small in stature had brought so many people to their knees.

  “The women will be the hardest to face.” When she turned, the truth of her words showed. “However, you won’t allow Marisa or any of the other wives to touch me until you have Arend back.”

  “That would depend on whether we thought he was still alive. You’ve played us for so long that we grow weary. I think it’s time to change the rules. If Arend is alive, I have great faith in his abilities to extract himself from any situation. Why should any of us care whether you even leave this cell alive?”

  This time she took the chair opposite him. Being so close to her made his skin crawl, but he gave no outward sign of it.

  “I wondered when I’d get to play my ace. If I do not meet Isobel at a certain time and at a predetermined place, she will kill Arend. Isobel is well trained. She’d do anything for me. I’m the mother she’s missed all these years. Do you really think that after all my planning, all the years I’ve put into this revenge, I would not have a plan for what to do if I should be caught?”

  For one moment Hadley thought of calling her bluff. Yet he had to admit that she made sense. Victoria’s planning, down to the very last detail, had been immaculate. What upset him was that he had not listened to, or acted upon, Arend’s suspicions about Isobel sooner.

  “It appears we are at a stalemate. For I can tell you now, there is no way that any of us will let you leave this cell unless it is to go to the gallows.”

  Victoria gave an exaggerated sigh. “Then it would appear you are signing your friend’s death warrant. In fact, I’d be quite content either way. It will give me some satisfaction to know, as I go to my death, that I’ll likely meet Arend in hell.”

  They sat staring at each other, Hadley trying to see if Victoria was bluffing. It was obvious that she was deranged, but she was also extremely clever. He would not put anything past her, or underestimate her.

  “There is one thing you are overlooking. If I do not meet Isobel, not only will she kill Arend, but she has agreed to continue to avenge the wrongs done to me by your fathers.”

  Hadley uncrossed his legs and sat up straight in the chair. “We captured you. We can capture her.”

  “True. But I taught Isobel well. How much damage can she inflict before you do catch her? Look how much damage I caused. You didn’t even realize how long ago I started to put this plan together. What could I already have put into play that Isobel is going to finish?” He could not stop the flash of rage that raced across his features. Before he could conceal his emotions, she drove the dagger home. “I suggest you go and talk to the others. Persuade them that it is in everyone’s best interest to release me.”

  He shook his head. “That will never happen. You can’t expect us to let you go free. How are we to know that you won’t continue to seek revenge upon us?” Before she could speak, he added, “However, I may be able to sway them into letting you go to meet Isobel, if I accompany you. Your freedom in exchange for Arend’s safe return.” She looked at him in disbelief, her eyebrows raised. “We would also require your word that you and Isobel will leave England’s shores, never to return. I would insist on one of my men accompanying you to your final destination. The Americas, perhaps?”

  “This plan requires a lot of trust on the part of both parties. I’m not sure our relationship is at that level.”

  “Are you questioning my honor?”

  “Your fathers had no honor.”

  He could not refute her statement. “I was hoping you would begin to understand the sons are nothing like the fathers.”

  She shrugged her delicate shoulders. “Perhaps.” She studied him for what seemed a long time before finally saying, “Let me think on your suggestion. And I propose that you work hard on persuading the others. I’m not sure they will be happy with this plan.”

  “I think all of us, including yourself, have suffered enough, don’t you? What our fathers started, I want to finish. I’ve come to realize that an eye for an eye leads to blindness for all. I just want this to end before anyone else gets hurt.”

  “Perhaps the sons do have more honor.”

  “Perhaps if you had gotten to know us before you instigated this plan you would already have known that. I know what my father was, and I can quite imagine what he and the others did to you. And having seen what you’ve done to Evangeline, Sealey, and myself, I understand the driving need for revenge. However, I’ve also seen what revenge does. It doesn’t heal. It doesn’t correct mis
takes. It doesn’t ease the pain.”

  To his amazement he saw Victoria’s eyes fill with tears. “What does ease the pain?”

  “Something you have never experienced, and I feel sorry for you because of it.”

  She looked at him quizzically.

  He whispered, “Love. Loving someone, having someone love you back, that’s what eases the pain. I have that with Evangeline, and I will have that with Sealey. I doubt you have let anyone close enough to be able to love you, or if you are even capable of love, or if there is anything in you to love.”

  “I did love once. I loved a little girl who, because I was her mother, starved to death before she was three weeks of age.”

  “Tell me. Make me understand.”

  She looked away, and her voice held no emotion as she began her tale.

  “My father was Sir Reginald Rathbourne. I was his only child. My mother could not have more children after my birth. We lived a quiet life in a small village near St. Ives. Life was good, we were happy, until my father invested in a South American mining company. We lost everything. Father turned to drink, and soon anything of value in our house had been sold. One drunken night at the gaming table my father lost huge to the Duke of Lyttleton. I was given to him as payment. After the night I was raped by your fathers, except for Lord Labourd, your father kept me as his personal sex slave. I was so traumatized I didn’t even try to escape. Then, when I was large and round with child, he took me to London and threw me on the streets.”

  Hadley could not stop a curse pouring from his mouth. “Christ almighty.”

  “Christ was certainly not around. I gave birth in a doorway, living off scraps of food I could scrounge. I was so undernourished I had little to no milk for my babe. She literally starved to death. I would have too if one of the local madams hadn’t taken me in.”

  “I’m so sorry. But again, I stress, I and my friends were not the culprits here.”

  Victoria ignored his remark. “Of course, once I was stronger, the madam put me to work. We all had to earn our keep. When I was gritting my teeth under my first ‘customer,’ I vowed I’d wreak revenge on those who had forsaken me. I saved hard and hired a man to kill my father. It took me three months to save the amount needed. Such a small amount for a man’s life. However, I found the victory hollow, as I was not there to see it. That’s when I decided my vengeance had to be more personal. I wanted to look into your father’s eyes when he died. When all of them died. Once again the devil spat in my face. They all died before I could seek my revenge. I deserved to be avenged but there was no one to help me. It took me years to rise to a position high enough to instigate payback. Unfortunately, the sons were all that was left of my defilers’ bloodline.”